Even though the earthquake happened almost 10 months ago, thousands of people are still living in emergency shelters, many children are unable to attend school and the approaching winter is making life even more difficult. “The recurring aftershocks are often re-traumatising, especially for children,” says a local kindergarten teacher in Hatay.

In addition to Lina Bäuerle, the team consisted of 6 Turkish and one German Emergency Pedagogue. The pedagogical work mainly took place in camps and schools, as in the previous interventions. During the day, the team worked with over 100 children between the ages of 3 and 13. In addition, the team offered an introductory training for local educators in the evenings. Up to 40 local pedagogues took part in the events, which included practical as well as theoretical components. Due to the diverse composition of the team, the children and pedagogues were offered a variety of emergency pedagogical methods. The practical sessions consisted of trauma sensitive experiential educational, such as movement and music, and artistic activities such as water colouring, working with clay and free painting.

The team of eight was on site for a week. With the support of our local coordinator Cansu Kaygisiz, two child Friendly Spaces opened in Hatay in November, where up to 60 children will receive Emergency Pedagogical support until summer 2024.